16 May 2011

Mystery-Writing Detective: Nevermore

Right now the major TV networks are in the middle of announcing next season's pickups, which for us means bidding goodbye to the sweet dream of "Poe," a procedural starring the 19th-century writer solving mysteries in Boston. This was an actual pilot commissioned by ABC. We are shocked it didn't go anywhere. This review of the pilot (which I haven't seen) faults the casting of blond Australian actor Chris Egan, formerly of the tanktastic "Kings," as E.A. Poe. Yeah, it is hard to picture a blond Poe, but more so a Poe solving crimes.

Truly, if you need a mystery-writing detective show in your life, "Castle" with Nathan Fillion as thriller writer Richard Castle is all right, and it was renewed months ago. Alternately, peruse the "Edgar Allen Poe in television and film" Wikipedia page (holy completism).

2 comments:

Elizabeth said...

I think we'd all like to live in a world in which Poe brought Mary Rogers's murder to justice instead of just writing a story ("The Mystery of Marie Roget") about it.

But yes, I'm trying to imagine Poe at the end of the episode cornering the villain and getting into a fist (or possibly sword) fight to prevent his getting away, but I'm afraid that, in my imagination, Poe gets beaten up every time.

Ellen said...

Try picturing a Poe who looks like the guy who played Thor in "Thor." Does that make it easier? (Not the same dude, but they are both blond and Australian!)